Switzerland travel for 8 days
 

Hi, I will travel with my family of 5. 2 adults 3 kids aged 17, 12, 7. This is my itenary provided by a travel company. I would Like to know if there are any cities that is worth seeing but not included here in the itenary. Or any city which is not so good is here on the plan. Kindly help leaving early august.
This 8 day/ 7night package. Includes a Swiss Transfer Ticket Inclusive of Swiss Half Fare Card 8 transfers and
excursion Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe
Program
Day 1 Travel from any Swiss Airport or border town to Interlaken via Lucerne
Overnight Interlaken.
Day 2 Excursion to Jungfraujoch— Excursion Jungfraujoch, overnight Interlaken Day
A visit to the world famous Jungfraujoch.
Day 3 Interlaken – Montreux
Travel from Interlaken to Montreux - on Golden Pass Line. Overnight Montreux
Not to be missed: an excursion to Bern, a UNESCO world Heritage site, and home to one of the
longest shopping promenades in Europe, then travel through the scenic Simme Valley to Montreux on
Lake Geneva.
Day 4 Montreux - Martigny - Zermatt
Transfer to Zermatt, overnight Zermatt.
From Lake Geneva, you’ll travel to Martigny—the gateway to Great St Bernard and Forclaz Pass.
Continue on via Brig to Zermatt.
Day 5 Zermatt - St Moritz
Travel on the Glacier Express to St. Moritz. Overnight St. Moritz.
This legendary stretch includes a ride on the Glacier Express from the Matterhorn village to Chur,
Switzerland’s oldest city. Before arriving at St Moritz, consider a trip from Chur to Davos. Its hundreds
of serpentine turns and mountain tunnels at 3-6,000 feet are a photographers dream.
Day 6 St Moritz – Lugano
Travel on the Bernina Express (train and bus) via Tirano to Lugano. Overnight Lugano.
Two routes lead to Lugano in Switzerland‘s sunny south. In summer, choose the Bernina Express train
to Tirano (Italy), then bus to Lugano. In winter, travel by Palm Express PostBus over passes and
through valleys. Don’t miss a 1.5-hour excursion on the Centovalli Express from Locarno toDomodossola, Italy a spectacularly stunning route that includes 83 bridges and 31 tunnels.
Day 7 Lugano – Lucerne
Travel to Bellinzona and board the panoramic train and travel on the Gothard line to Fluelen. Board
the Wilhelm Tell steamer in Fluelen and travel to Lucerne on Lake Lucerne, overnight Lucerne.
Few things will take your breath away like the Wilhelm Tell Express. Combining rail and waterway
travel, this 5-hour trip starts with scenic rail before connecting to a spectacular 2.5-hour Lake Lucerne
steamer boat ride.
Day 8 Travel from Lucerne to any Swiss Airport or Border town.

This itinerary coud be better with a Swiss Travel Pass - with all those trains and boats, etc IMO - did you do the maths? Anyway check www.sbb.ch for regular fares - lots of info on Swiss transports and passes - www.swisstravelsystem.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Kids undr 16 with a parent get a free Family Pass - at any station when you buy your travel cards or passes. Anyway far too fast and trying to pack too much into too little time.

The basic package consists of:
 7 nights in a 3 star hotel, based on double occupancy. Upgrades to 4 star accommodation is possible
 A Swiss Transfer Ticket Inclusive of Swiss Half Fare Card in 2nd class with 8 transfers and excursion
Jungfraujoch - Top Of Europe, upgrades to 1st class travel is possible
 Basic package does not include seat reservations. Seat reservations are compulsory on the Gotthard Panorama
Express, Bernina Express and Glacier Express, seat reservations is additional to the price of the package
 Breakfast is included.
Adult rates Twin Room Single Room
Basic package
3 star hotel € 1183.00 € 1365.00
4 star hotel € 1491.00 € 1981.00
Additional nights
3 star hotel / per night € 103.00 € 128.00
4 star hotel / per night € 145.00 € 191.00
1
st class rail travel Supplement € 150.00
Children’s rules
Child up to 5 inclusive: free of charge in the hotels
Child up to 5 inclusive, sharing rooms with 2 paying adults: child breakfast must be paid locally.
Child up to 5 inclusive, sharing rooms with 1 paying adult, the adult must purchase single room upgrades
and then pay locally the child breakfast.

OK- It's a package tour so fine - forget any other passes as tour company must have priced all that out. I would pay upgrade for first class - especially with family. But, I'm not sure how much fun the kids will have being on trains virtually all the time - do you do all this on your own or is it an escorted tour?

Not sure how Bern fits into an already filled Day 3 as Golden Pass don't go thru it.

I'd really suggest going on own to half the number of places and relax - like in Interlaken area hotels in Interlaken have no awesome views of mountains as a stay in Wengen would - easy to do on own really - as it is you're going all over the map - I'd say consider your own trip to Lucerne, Interlaken area, GPass to Montreux and relax in those bases - do some easy hiking or lake boat rides, etc.

Instead of staying in Interlaken, stay in the mountains in Grindelwald, Murren or Wengen.

Seems like it's an all- or most-inclusive tour with hotels arranged and yes missing out by not staying in the mountains rather than just taking a mobbed Jungfraujoch train up to a crowded summit area and back.

I move fast; I would not want to moe as fast as this itinerary. This plan has you on a train for the vast majority of your time in Switzerland, and while the scenery is stunning, I would want much more time on my feet. I can’t imagine children being happy sitting that long, day after day. And if your goal is to see Jungfraujoch, well unfortunately, you can’t predict the weather on any given day. And like HappyTrvlr, if going to that area, known as the Bernese Oberland, I’d actually want to be there (perhaps in Wengen) than in Interlaken, and I'd stay there long enough to actually see it.

Seems pretty expensive -- even for Switzerland. The cost is per person and only includes breakfasts, and if your 'Children's Rules' are accurate it would be times five (since your rules only list children age 5 and younger)

Switzerland is probably the place where organized tours provide the least benefit because the country is so easy to navigate and the language barrier is almost non-existent for English speakers. If you have not paid for this tour yet, consider doing it yourself.

But, IMO not doing all that tour - settle on a few areas like Lucerne, Jungfrau Region and Lake Geneva/Montreux perhaps.

I would Like to know if there are any cities that is worth seeing but not included here in the itenary.>

Lots but don't even think of doing more - to see all those places that quick you need a tour just about - again is this a guided tour or self-guided tour?

If self-guided can you trim off parts?

After all the helpful ideas/suggestions. My husband and I decided to do the trip on our own and not go on the pakage. Now we are not sure if we should rent a car or use train. Again we are travelling with 3 kids ages 17 12 and 7

Trains are really best if visiting Alpine areas where private cars are usually banned and those special scenic trains linking bases - like Golden Pass Lucerne-Interlaken-Montreux and Lake Geneva. Or in Lucerne where lake boat excursions are popular. So it would depend - car or not - on overall itinerary you come up with. But trains in Switzerland are great - amongst best in Europe. Various Swiss Travel Passes: www.ricksteves.com; BETS: Switzerland www.seat61.com.

Train transportation in Switzerland is incredibly easy, comfortable, and efficient – among the best in the world! The trains connect with other transportation (when necessary), there are lockers at almost all stations, and there are even luggage-forwarding options. Wonderful!

Having a car can offer a freedom not otherwise available and a chance to see places that are not readily visited via public transportation, and certainly, there are times when I choose to rent a car, too! But there are disadvantages to having a car, too. For example:

- Some of those “oh, doesn’t that look charming!” places aren’t actually that charming, and by the time you get back on the road, you can end up with less time than might be ideal for visiting the places that were your priorities.

- Driving can be stressful – and I say that as someone who loves driving! But some roads are challenging, unexpected detours or GPS failures can be a bit daunting, and driving into cities (and finding parking) can make the last part of a long trip less than pleasant.

- Driving – or at least responsible driving – can also pose constraints on the driver. For example, the driver may be unable to truly enjoy spectacular scenery, as s/he needs to pay attention to the road -- sometimes, very careful attention! And depending on how much one eats and one’s size and and how long one relaxes over a meal, even a glass of wine with lunch may carry risks.

- Driving is generally not a particularly green choice – and for some of us, that is a worthy consideration.

- Driving deprives you of one of the best things about taking public transportation -- opportunities to interact with people from the area, or gain insights into local norms and traditions.

- And, perhaps most importantly,If there is any chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

Hey what happened to the cause célèbre part? :cool:

Perhaps I missed what everyone is interested in. Our group of 2 and 3 have split our time between the Interlaken area and Zermatt. But that’s a lot of mountains and hiking. What does everyone want to see?

@ xcountry: I don't know! Obviously, my cut and paste is malfunctioning. :embarassed:

" leaving early august"
2018?
It's perfectly feasible, but it might be a good thing to define your itinerary (and to book your flights ASAP).

Interlaken and Zermatt - I would not necessarily do both -yes one Alpine awesomeness could be enough - Jungfrau area IMO has lots more to see and do besides going to mountain peaks - I suggest usually for first-time Swiss travelers to do Jungfrau area, Lucerne and Montreux and Lake Geneva for starters.

8 days - well I would certainly at most do 3 bases - fight the urge to see the whole country (as package tours like to advertise) - less can be more. Especially with kids.

Thank you members for the efforts, your comments made my decisions easy. We will do this trip on our own and will get the family pass for the train. Now we need a final itnenary. Our first base will be Lausanne. I will be greatful if anyone can comeup with an itneary for us. Suggest us consecutive cities we should visit in 12 days. PalenQ Is interlaken better or zermatt? Also, is the golden pass different than the family pass? What does golden pass provide?
thank you in advance